Daylight
by factionless-tribute
Summary: "The sun is shining down now, but I'm still not burning. Finally, the overwhelming gold leaves my vision and I can see again. I look down at my skin. No blisters. No ashes. Nothing. My eyes go wide, trying to see if this is a dream, a hallucination. But no. I'm not burning." A one-shot in Simon's POV at sunrise after the battle in City of Ashes. Inspired by Coldplay's song.


**This is my first Mortal Instruments fanfic, yay!**

**So this idea came to me when I was listening to a song of the same title of this fanfic. Yes, this is inspired by the song Daylight by Coldplay. The lyrics of the song are both before and after the fanfic. I loved the idea, so I had to get writing. And I came up with this.**

**The one-shot is set after the huge battle on the ship in City of Ashes, when Simon sees the sunrise for the first time since he became a vampire and realises the sun doesn't harm him anymore. Simon is one of my favourite characters in the story, and I have a soft spot for him. So I hope you guys enjoy this story.**

**I own neither the song nor the characters. Rights of the song go to Coldplay. Rights of the characters go to the fabulous author of TMI, Cassandra Clare. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

_To my surprise_

_And my delight_

_I saw sunrise_

_I saw sunlight_

_I am nothing in the dark_

_And the clouds burst to show daylight_

_Ooh, and the sun will shine_

_Yeah, on this heart of mine_

_Ooh, and I realize_

_Who couldn't live without_

_Who'd come apart without_

_It._

* * *

"The sun's coming up."

At first mention of the coming dawn, my body tenses and I'm stiff with fear. No, this cannot be happening.

Clary looks at me, with a surprised look in her eyes. She still doesn't get what's going on. Then the realisation of what is about to happen dawns on her, and her surprise turns into pure horror. She follows Jace's gaze to the horizon, and surely enough, it is streaked with the rose-gold beams of the impending sunrise.

"_No!_" she whispers.

Jace looks at Clary in surprise. Then his gaze falls on me. I sit still, just watching the horizon get brighter. I feel as helpless as I did when I drank that concoction and morphed into a rat. At least then, I still knew how to move, how to attempt to keep myself from danger. But now, there's no way out. I'm trapped. This is it. The end.

Jace then quickly gets up and walks over to the truck cab. After speaking in a low voice to Luke, the truck lurches forward in an attempt to outrun the dawn. Jace starts screaming at Luke, insisting that there's surely another way to make the truck go faster. But the speed stays the same. And the dawn is edging closer…

"There must be another way," says Clary. She's far away from the relieved, relaxed person I saw five minutes ago. Then again, so am I. "Maybe we could cover you…with our clothes…"

I shake my head in despair. My skin is pale, despite the sunlight. "A pile of rags won't work. Raphael said – he explained that only solid walls could protect us. Sunlight burns through cloth."

"But there must be something-" she breaks off when she sees me shake my head.

Her eyes brim with tears as I hear Jace screaming. Years of happy memories are reflected back to me through her glassy eyes.

"Clary," I say with all the strength and hope I have left. I reach out my arms to her. "Come here."

She falls against me, trying to cover as much as my body as she could with hers. But her legs are too short to match up with my long and gangly ones, her body too delicate to cover my boyish build. It was useless. When the sunlight touches me, I'll burn like the damned soul I am. Then nothing would remain of me anymore. Nothing but ashes.

We sit still together, our arms desperately clinging to each other. My chest rises and falls with my heavy breathing, an undying habit of my human life. I can feel Clary's racing, pounding heart against my chest, her warmth enveloping around my heatless body.

"I won't let you die," Clary whispers. Her arms get tighter around my body as the sun edges closer to the horizon. I realize how strong she's become in the past few months, with all that's happened. And how the tables have turned. I always used to feel this urge to protect her. And now, she's trying to protect me. I can't help but smile.

"I don't think you get a choice," I say. "I didn't think I'd get to see the sun again. I guess I was wrong."

Clinging onto Clary, I can hear Jace shouting something. Clary's eyes looked to the sky, and it was streaked with rose coloured light. My whole body goes rigid. This is the end. There is no escape.

My arms tighten around her body. I cling to her as tightly as I can without breaking her bones.

"I love you. I have never loved anyone else but you," I say. And it's true. I have probably marvelled over attractive girls and talked about them with Clary, but none of them never meant anything to me. Not like she did.

The golden sunlight shines through the sky, and my grip on Clary comes loose. The golden light fills my eyes and I can't see or comprehend anything else. My head falls back, but the burn hasn't come yet. I can hear Clary scream my name, feel the brush of her fingers as she tries to reach for me once more, but then someone pulls her off me. Probably Jace.

The sun is shining down now, but I'm still not burning. Finally, the overwhelming gold leaves my vision and I can see again. I look down at my skin. No blisters. No ashes. Nothing. My eyes go wide, trying to see if this is a dream, a hallucination. But no. I'm not burning. I look up at Jace holding Clary, and he matches my same wide gaze of amazement.

"Clary," he said. "Look. _Look._"

Her hands fly to cover her face, no doubt thinking I'm still burning away to ashes. "No! I don't want to look. I don't want to-"

Jace's hands reach up and pull Clary's wrists, her hands slipping away from her stricken face. "Clary," he said once again. "_Look._"

She turns towards where I am. And she gasps in pure shock, as she sees me searching my skin for any burning, but I find none.

I stare back up at her. Then look to the sky as the sun dances in happy golden streaks around me. I am filled with happiness. With hope.

I am alive.

* * *

_On a hilltop_

_On a sky rise_

_Like a first born child_

_And at full tilt_

_And in full flight_

_Defeat darkness, breaking daylight_

_Ooh, and the sun will shine_

_Yeah, on this heart of mine_

_Ooh, and I realize_

_Who cannot live without_

_Who'd come apart without_

_Daylight._

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**Thanks for reading, guys! :)**


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